Cleary laments 'frustrating' performance against Eels
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Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary was left with a rare feeling of frustration following his side's two-point loss to the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.
Cleary, whose side dropped to a 6-2 season record with the loss, said it was impossible to get into any sort of rhythm.
"It was a frustrating game to watch. I don't normally get that frustrated but tonight was frustrating," he said.
"We didn't get any rhythm pretty much the whole game. Any time we got some ascendancy we would just give it straight back with either an error or a penalty and it just went like that the whole game then the clock ran out.
"[After] Forty minutes of it you can try and address it, second half we started okay and the pattern continued so that was the most disappointing thing, you hope that it can address itself throughout the game but it just didn't tonight."
Cleary said even that though the side showed patches of impressive attacking play and defence, it simply wasn't enough to combat a confident Parramatta side.
"We lost that game," he said.
Match: Eels v Wests Tigers
Round 8 -
home Team
Eels
16th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
5th Position
Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney
"Whether it was defensively or offensively we had some really good periods of play we just couldn't put them together, you just invite the opposition in if you do that.
"Parramatta are a team that when they're feeling good they got a lot of threat in them, they're a hand full. We offered way too many opportunities to pose that threat."
Despite the side losing their last two matches, Cleary says his side was continuing to show improvement.
Wests Tigers press conference - Round 8, 2018
"I honestly feel like we're starting to play better footy, we just have to manage the game better," he said.
"I think we've grown in terms of confidence throughout the year. I think our football is actually better but we're not being consistent enough and just letting the pressure off or not applying it well enough at times.
"We're obviously a learning team and still growing and tonight's another one of those."
